Eight tenants displaced by the partial collapse of an apartment building in St. Thomas won't be allowed back inside to get their possessions.
St. Thomas firefighters were called to the four unit building at Hiawatha and Owassia streets around 9 p.m. Wednesday. The building's west basement wall had caved in just hours after an excavator was used to remove the earth from beside it as part of a restoration project.
Firefighters helped eight tenants escape without injury. Two adjacent homes were also evacuated as a precaution.
Engineers assessed the scene on Thursday morning and determined the building will have to be knocked down as the foundation is continuing to crumble. Residents will not be allowed to return to their units to gather their possessions.
"The whole basement structure has caved in so there is not much holding the first and second floors up... Anyone going in to get anything would be in great peril because the building could collapse at any moment," said Chief Fire Prevention Officer
Kim Destun.
Victim Services Elgin is assisting those displaced, Destun added.
It is anticipated the building will come down by the end of the day Thursday, either on its own or with the help of demolish crews.
Streets around the building were closed to all traffic Wednesday night. They have since been reopened to local traffic, while the building itself remains cordoned off.
